Hyaena mask "suruku" · Mali, Bamana, Koulikoro, Bamako District · ID: 3044344
Galerie Walu, Basel, Switzerland (1967)
Gerhard & Gisela Hoffmann, Würzburg, Germany
Description
wood, collection number “75-33-5”
This mask belongs to the initiation community of the “korè” society, which marks the boys’ transition into adulthood.
According to Zahan, the “korè” is divided into different classes, each with their own masks and totems. A distinction can be made between “surukuw” (hyena), “jaraw” (lion) and “sulaw” (monkey).
The complex symbolism of the hyena means that its appearance can have strongly changing meanings depending on the context. So the masks appear in performances, which are supposed to show the initiates by negative example how not to behave. Mostly, however, they appear as mythical teachers who know all the secrets of the bush and help the initiates to perfect their secret knowledge.
The object Hyaena mask “suruku” with the object ID 3044344 was last part of the auction 90.I Tribal Art and 90.II Contemporary Native American Art at November 17, 2018 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 97 achieved a sales price of EUR 750.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.